


The Silver Mirror

by thekeyholder



Category: Muse
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fairy Tale, Happy Ending, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-06-25
Updated: 2013-06-25
Packaged: 2017-12-16 04:29:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,966
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/857800
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thekeyholder/pseuds/thekeyholder
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Fairytale time! Dominic is a special child - a fairy was there at his birth and gifted him a silver mirror. When he is old enough, his mother shows the mirror to him. He instanly falls in love with the prince he sees in it.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Silver Mirror

**Author's Note:**

> Betaed by the wonderful [millionstar](https://archiveofourown.org/users/millionstar/pseuds/millionstar).  
> This is my entry for the June challenge at [stellarclouds](http://stellarclouds.livejournal.com/). My story is based on a Hungarian folktale with the same name - I've just slightly changed the end. What you have to know about Hungarian tales: the hero always has to pass three trials to gain his princess (he may be helped by three characters). The villain is either a dragon or the so-called Iron-Nosed Witch. :D Of course, the good always wins.

Once upon a time there was a poor woman who had just given birth to her seventh child. Suddenly, the room was filled with a brilliant light: a fairy appeared beside the bed and smiled kindly at the shocked mother.  
  
“Do not be afraid, good woman, I am a fairy and I brought a gift for your son. This is a silver mirror; take good care of it, it has powerful magic. Hide it well until your son is seven days old and only show it to him then.”  
  
“But how should a babe understand it?” the mother asked, confused.  
  
“You will see,” the fairy replied with a mysterious smile and disappeared.  
  
Dominic, because that was the name his mother had given him, grew very fast; in seven days the boy grew as much as others in seventeen years. His mother remembered the fairy’s gift and gave it to his son. Dominic looked in the mirror and he saw a beautiful prince, bound in a dark castle on the top of the Glass Mountain.  
  
Dominic was seized by such a great desire that he couldn’t stay at home.  
  
“Dear mother, I cannot stay here with you. I must go and save Prince Matthew from the Black Castle.”  
  
His mother cried, but she knew that this was the fairy’s plan all along. She packed a bag with food for the long trek and gave it to Dominic, sighing heavy-heartedly as she neatened his fair locks and pressed a gentle kiss on his forehead.  
  
“Save your prince and come back to me.”  
  
The young man wandered a lot, he travelled through golden fields and rolling hills. Wherever he went, he would ask around how far he was from the Glass Mountain. People were terrified when they heard Dominic’s plans; they tried to dissuade him from going there:  
  
“Do you know how dangerous that zone is? Do not go there, fair champion. The Iron-Nosed Witch throws boulders from the Glass Mountain into the valley to anyone who dares to set foot there. No one can escape from there alive.”  
  
However, Dominic was unrelenting. When he would go to sleep, whether in a warm bed or on the cold ground, he would take out the silver mirror and the image of Matthew, sad in his grim captivity, gave him power to continue.  
  
  
  
One day he finally laid eyes upon the Glass Mountain. The valley was full of enormous, strange boulders. When Dominic looked better, he noticed that the boulders were, in fact, knights and champions turned to stone.  
  
The burgundy rays of the setting sun reflected on the Glass Mountain. Suddenly, Dominic noticed that boulders were rolling down on the mountain in his direction. He looked around for shelter and noticed a decrepit building. As he looked around inside it, he realised it was a mill. The old miller was lying on a bed, visibly very skinny and weak. Dominic told him about his mission, but the old man, too, tried to change his mind:  
  
“Do not go to the Black Castle, sweet child! All the boulders you have seen are brave young men who tried to save Prince Matthew. The Iron-Nosed Witch made me weak like this. I don’t even have power to sit up. Not that I have anyone to work for…At least I have a last bun.”  
  
“A last bun? How can you survive on it?” Dominic wondered how the old man could survive on so little.  
  
“Yes, if I eat from it, the bun grows back.”  
  
Dominic and the old man had supper together and went to sleep.  
  
The next morning Dominic stood determinedly in front of the old miller.  
  
“It’s time for me to leave.”  
  
“Back home?” the old man asked, hopeful.  
  
“No, to the Black Castle.”  
  
The old man sighed, fearing for Dominic. “Here, take this piece of bun – it will always grow back. When you arrive to the gates of the castle, you will find three big dogs guarding it. These dogs were mine, but the Iron-Nosed Witch took them from me. Just throw them a piece of my bun; they will recognise the taste and let you pass. Now, once you get into the castle, you will find a green leather bottle in one of the first room’s corners. Bring it to me because it will restore my power.”  
  
Dominic thanked the old man politely and promised to come back soon. He also found out that he could travel safely during the day because that was when the witch slept. Dominic arrived to a great building which lied under the Glass Mountain. He stepped inside and realised it was a forge, but cobweb and dust covered everything. In the back of the building, Dominic found a giant, the Great Smith, lying helplessly in a huge bed, barely breathing.  
  
He greeted the Smith who was surprised to see him: “Dominic, what are you doing here? Don’t you know how dangerous it is? Look at me, the evil Witch took my powers. Otherwise I’d defeat her easily.”  
  
Dominic told him his story. The giant hummed thoughtfully and finally said: “Go into the forge. You will find an axe, a casket and a diamond key. Bring them here.”  
  
The young man found the axe – made completely of diamond, the casket and the diamond key and went with them back to the giant. The Great Smith said: “Without this diamond axe, you won’t be able to climb the Glass Mountain – use it to cut stairs in it, but beware, you must arrive at the top of the mountain before dusk.”  
  
He then opened the casket and showed its contents to Dominic: “These are diamond nails. Stud them on the soles of your shoes, this way you won’t slip off the Glass Mountain.”  
  
The young man went into the forge and studded his boots. He was about to leave when the Great Smith called him back: “Do not forget the diamond key here. This key can open any door. In one of the corners of the castle’s first room you will find a green leather bottle. Please, bring it to me because it contains water that will give back my powers.”  
  
Dominic was incredibly grateful and thanked the Great Smith profusely. He set off at dawn, cutting stairs in the Glass Mountain with his diamond axe, his diamond-studded boots sputtering sparks as he climbed the mountain. By the time he arrived to the top, the Sun was setting. Dominic knew the Iron-Nose Witch would soon emerge from the castle, therefore he looked around for a place to hide. He noticed a forest and went deep inside it, until he found a hunter lying shakily under a tree.  
  
The hunter told Dominic that the evil Iron-Nosed Witch took his powers and asked the young man if he had some food. Dominic and the hunter eat from the old man’s magical bun. During their humble supper, the hunter told Dominic that every animal and bird in the forest was turned into stone by the witch. In reply, Dominic told about his adventure and plans to save Prince Matthew.  
  
“Fair champion, if you get inside the castle, you will find a black leather bottle in one of the corners of the second room. The water in that leather bottle can revive the animals and the people turned into stone. Please bring it to me so we can revive the forest,” the hunter asked before they went to sleep.  
  
The next day, just as Dominic was about to leave, the hunter gave him a gift, because he was so kind to him: “You see that hole in the tree? Put your hand into it – you will find a dirty shirt in there. I got this shirt from my father and he got it from his father. It’s a magical garment: the man who wears it turns invisible.”  
  
Dominic put on the shirt and went to the Black Castle where everyone, even the guards, slept during the day. As soon as the young man opened the gate with the diamond key, the old miller’s three dogs started barking at him. They didn’t see anyone, but they felt his presence. Dominic took the old man’s advice and threw pieces of the bun to the dogs who, upon feeling the well-known taste in their mouth, became docile and wiggled their tail happily as Dominic passed them.  
  
He opened the door to the first room with the diamond key and found the green leather bottle. In the second room, as the hunter told him, the black leather bottle waited for him. Dominic opened the door to the third room and there, in its middle, tied to a column was Prince Matthew, his beautiful blue eyes cast down in sadness. Dominic needed a minute to admire his prince’s shiny black hair and pearly, flawless skin.  
  
He then took off his shirt and as the prince beheld Dominic, he knew that the fair young man came to save him: “Dearest Dominic, you are here! My mother is the fairy who gave you the silver mirror, so that you could save me. I am your betrothed. Please, take off these ropes. We must hurry and leave the castle before sunset.”  
  
They quickly slipped past the guards and the dogs, running towards the forest. Dominic gave the hunter a piece of his bun and let him drink from the green leather bottle – the two leather bottles were magical, they never ran out of water. The hunter jumped on his feet happily and helped Dominic and Prince Matthew to resurrect the stone animals. The two lovers wanted to hurry to the Great Smith, but the hunter stopped them:  
  
“I will not let you go like this! Dominic, look at Prince Matthew! He’s exhausted, he cannot make the strenuous trek on the mountain. Here, I’ll help you!”  
  
The hunter whistled and a huge eagle appeared beside them in a few moments. Dominic climbed on its back and helped Prince Matthew to get on it. The prince scooted closer to Dominic and put his hands around his betrothed’s waist as the eagle soared ever higher. The eagle was incredibly fast; they arrived to the forge in the blink of an eye.   
  
When the Great Smith saw them, he instantly felt better. Just like the hunter, after a few sips of the green leather bottle’s water the Great Smith was invigorated and started making swords and maces. Dominic and Matthew looked surprised.  
  
“Great Smith, why don’t you rest a bit?”  
  
“I have rested enough; I need to make weapons for the knights and champions so we can fight the Iron-Nosed Witch.”   
  
Dominic and Prince Matthew then visited the old miller who was very happy to see them. He drank from the green leather bottle and started working in the mill. Prince Matthew asked for a cup and he poured water from the black leather bottle, making the process of waking the stone-knights go faster. Every knight and champion was grateful to Dominic and Matthew, they were also happy for the two of them.  
  
When they were finished, Dominic took out the silver mirror, but the image he saw scared him: his mother was sick. The generous knights gave Dominic and Prince Matthew fast, strong horses. They arrived to Dominic’s mother in no time, who upon seeing them felt much better. She embraced her son and prince Matthew, praising her son for saving such a handsome prince. The room was once again illuminated: it was the fairy, Prince Matthew’s mother, who joined the cheerful reunion. She then told them that they would all move to Fairyland and enjoy the beauties of life.  
  
Matthew and Dominic married in Fairyland and their wedding lasted for three days and three nights. They lived happily ever after.


End file.
